SURVIVE!
by Molinebar2
Summary: The world around them is crumbling as they know it. After a madness-inducing virus spreads through their country at a striking pace, the chances of getting to live a normal life worsen. Nico and the rest of Muse have no choice but to take the lead role in their story of survival. {AU NicoMaki & EliUmi. Heavy gore and violence.} [Dropped]
1. Chapter 1: Beginnings

**A/N: Hello and welcome to my new story, SURVIVE! Originally, I wasn't going to upload this onto , but hey. No harm in spreading the yuri and drama love. Because of that though, updates may be slow or erratic, and so I will apologise in advance. **

**Now, as stated earlier. The pairings are NicoMaki with a side EliUmi and possibly NozoEli? This is a pretty mature piece too, so if things get too gruesome, I might bump this up to M. But anyway, warnings aside, I present to you the first chapter of this AU.**

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**Chapter 1: Beginnings**

_Thursday September 24th 2:51pm: Nico POV_

"...and lastly, if you substitute _x _with _-17, _you can see that..." I yawned, leaning my elbow on my desk. Just a few more minutes, I reminded myself. A few more minutes before this horrible lesson would end, and I could go back home after another exhausting day. My eyes trailed along the side-walk, right outside the window I sat beside. There were already a few students walking out there. I always wondered what business people had, roaming around the school freely during class time, but it was never my business anyway.

As my head filled with more and more useless thoughts, the male teacher in the room continued yapping away. As if anyone was paying attention. "...and that should be about the gist of it. You all got that?" He didn't give any time to respond. "Good. Exercises 10A and 10B should be completed for homework, in preparation for tomorrow's lesson." Another yawn. Teachers knew how to preach boredom pretty well, if you asked me. "You may pack up."

The last of his word's barely caught my attention, as the classroom was filled with shuffling and quiet chatter soon afterwards. I grinned. Hah. Even my third-year classmates were so low as to wait for the teacher's instruction before packing up. Holding my chin up a little higher, I quickly glanced at my empty desk. All clean.

"But, before you are dismissed, there is one last message." The teacher's monotone voice somehow brought upon a silence upon the room. I didn't bother looking over. "In fact, no. None of you _are _allowed to... leave the school anyway. Not yet, no. Not just yet."

_'...huh? What's this guy up to now?' _Pulling my lazy eyes across the room, I stared at the teacher. He was looking up at the ceiling, though somehow not; he looked more dazed and dreamy more than anything. Probably fantasizing about some of the 'wonders of maths', or something.

"I have a present for you - I hope you all enjoy it." A present! Great! I couldn't have cared less, so I glanced back out the window.

Well, that's what I thought, before a large gasp reached my ears; a sound from every person in the room, that rung of terror. Gee, can't you let a girl space out every once in a while...? This class was always full of dramas. Raising an eyebrow, I turned my head back towards the front of the classroom. That's when I stopped.

Chills, that's what I first felt as my eyes widened on the front board of the class - or rather, the item now stuck in the middle of it. Seemingly glued in place was a rectangular box, it's sides painted in a metallic black. The lid of the box however was glass, revealing the contents inside. Whether it was organised or not, I couldn't tell. All I could see was that there was an array of multi-coloured wires sticking out in all directions, and in the centre sat an LED timer.

1:00 was the time it displayed. Did it mean one hour? One minute? _One second? _I had no idea what it meant, or what the box even was. The only thing I was sure of was, well... the fact that it looked kinda like a bomb.

_'Nice one, sensei... didn't know you were the joking type.' _I sighed, leaning back in my seat as the initial sense of shock wore off. Everyone else had such stunned looks on their faces, of course the emotion was going to shift onto me at first. But now that I concluded that this was a simple prank, I had nothing to worry about.

The teacher reached over and pressed a button on the side of the box, setting off the timer with a click. It now displayed 0:59, then 0:58. It was counting down in seconds, nonetheless. It continued to beep as he spoke, voice booming in comparison. "Now everyone, I hope you've had a _lovely _day, because I'm doing you a favour and making it your last." Despite his absurd words, they had a playful ring to them. He clasped his hands together. "If everyone could join in on the countdown for me, that would be great."

And with a charming smile, he began counting down out loud, along with the replica bomb. He was the only one doing so for a solid 10 seconds or so. By the time the counter reached it's thirties, a few others had joined in with hesitant voices. Then, by the time it had hit 20 seconds, everyone was quietly chanting along. Except for me. Crossing my arms, I waited in amusement.

20, 19, 18...

"Nico-cchi!" Body jolting, I snapped my head in the direction of the call.

"Nozomi? What, what is it?" She looked almost as panicked as everyone else. In an instant, she shot up from her seat, rushing over towards me.

15, 14, 13...

I barely noticed that Eli had also stood up behind her, before the pigtailed girl grabbed me by the wrist, and tugged me out of my own seat. "W-Woah...! What's the big deal? Where are we going...?" Towing me along as she followed Eli's lead, the girl pulled me through the classroom. And no one seemed to notice.

10, 9, 8...

"No time...!" That was all she shouted before their fast walking pace turned into a sprint, heading straight past the teacher and out the door. Scrambling for my feet beneath me, I barely managed to keep myself upright as I followed behind. My wrist throbbed from how hard Nozomi was squeezing it.

5, 4, 3...

"Can somebody _please_ tell me what's going on here!? It's the end of the day, for crying out loud...!" Although no matter how much I protested, I didn't get any answers. Met with silence, I finally gave up, watching my step as I was pulled down the closest flight of stairs. "We're heading down to the lower levels...? Hey, can you at least slow down while we-!"

2, 1.

And that's when the explosion came.

The noise seemed to shatter through my ear drums as the hallways rattled and rumbled. I didn't notice we'd stopped running halfway down the stairs, too focused on the bone-chilling sound of people screaming. I was frozen. I didn't bother turning around to look at what just happened. The ground beneath me felt like it was vibrating still, and my ears were ringing.

And yet somehow, I still managed to hear the piercing sound of someone's maniacal laughter in the distance, no matter how quickly it was drowned out by the ringing of the school's emergency bell.

The throbbing in my arm didn't even matter any more. "...what... the hell..."

All three of us said nothing; merely waited until the buzzing in our ears had quietened before we took another breath. Shaking in my stance, my eyes slowly made their way up to meet the others' gazes. Terrified, confused, and hurt - I assumed the same expression was what I wore, too.

"...what the _hell _just happened!?" I had to raise my voice for the other's to hear me over the bell, and over the stampede of footsteps from nearby students. The once empty hallways were quickly becoming flooded with more and more panicking figures.

"I don't know..." I barely heard Eli's mutter back, before I combated with a louder tone of my own.

_"What do you mean, 'you don't know'?"_

"I don't know, okay!?" She took a step closer to me, as she stared me down. The look of fear in her eyes... somehow, that seemed more painful than the buzzing in my head.

"There's no time to discuss this. Hurry, we have to get outside!" Although I was glad Nozomi interrupted, she could of at least given me another warning before bolting off and dragging me along. My feet slipped beneath me, and I barely caught myself before my head met the edge of the stairs. Heart thudding from the falling sensation and the sense of panic, I clenched my teeth, and ran with all the strength I could.

What was happening? How was this even happening? Was this seriously real? Doubts flooded through me as I pushed through the crowds of people, along with the other two girls. What were we supposed to do in an emergency like this? Wasn't there supposed to be a drill to follow; an orderly way to do this? So then why was everyone in the school, including the teachers we passed by, looking so lost?

"Are you kidding me? Are you serious? Can someone _please _explain to me what just happened back there?!" Starting to feel frustration mix in with my fear, my breaths became rigid. My feet were numb from how hard I drove them into the ground.

"That was, most likely, _not _a fake bomb, Nico-cchi! Put two and two together...!" I barely processed the answer I got in return. I didn't even think before I replied.

"So that was a real bomb? Just then? Things literally just _exploded and people could have died?" _

"Well, _why do you think we're running, Nico?" _I only glanced over at Eli for a moment, before my gaze returned to the hallway in front of us. Everything was a blur, and I knew I didn't say anything more until we had passed through the main doors of the school building.

It seemed we weren't the first ones to even make it out. A small crowd of students had already congregated outside the front gates, just as we were. Huffing and heaving for breath, I turned my head towards the school building as I walked in the opposite direction.

"Oh... this is just..."

Flames. Smoke. Parts of the upper building were on fire. "...great."

Becoming lost in the sight, my body gave in to the exhaustion, and I fell onto my knees. My fingers shook, and felt numb. Had I been squeezing them as I ran? I couldn't really remember. That didn't matter now. What did matter was the fact that, yes - an explosion had clearly been set off in our classroom. And Nozomi, Eli and I were lucky to have been prepared and escaped before getting caught up in it.

"That's fire... ooh, that's fire... t-that's really..." Muttering to myself, I felt a hand press against my shoulder.

"...what was that teacher doing?" When I turned my head, I noticed it was Nozomi, although she was speaking to herself, really. Behind her, Eli had already turned on her phone, and was shouting through the noise to the receivers on the other side. I assumed she was getting some kind of help. Only when I turned back to the building did I realise that my eyes, too, were burning, though from tears.

"Nozo...mi...?" The question came out before I'd realised I said it. "How did you even know... that was going to happen...?"

"Nico-cchi..."

"...why didn't you stop it?" The girl's grip on my shoulder suddenly tightened. I held back a wince, already feeling weakness through my body.

"I didn't." she snapped back. "I didn't, okay? It was an assumption. A risk I took, and look where it lead. We're safe, and that's enough." She sounded impatient, though that went over my head. I was too focused on trying to stop myself from crumbling on the spot. "'A tragedy will unfold when you least expect it', that's what I made of my card's prediction today. So I acted on it, and we're alive."

"...we put so much effort into saving the school, with Honoka and the others, and yet... _this _has to happen? Seriously, _this? _I don't even-!"

"Nico-cchi." Struck by the firm tone, I backed off. "...as if anyone would be pleased this happened. I am not heartless, I just did what I could." My eyes fell onto the floor. When had I started crying...? This wasn't good. Wiping at my eyes furiously to get rid of them, I hoped Nozomi hadn't noticed. Or anyone, really.

Hearing the shuffling of footsteps behind me, I made sure there were no signs of tears on my face before I looked up. Eli.

"The fire brigade is on it's way." she informed, with a wavering expression. Nozomi gave her a small nod of appreciation. However, they said nothing more, as the amount of students rushing from the building steadily increased. It had become quite loud and packed now.

Trying to regain some composure like the other pair, I quickly stood on my shaky feet, and brushed off my knees. I was certain they had a few scratches on them now, and my feet had a bruise or two. Jumping down staircases and running through the school wasn't exactly the best thing for my body to take, but anyway. Nozomi was right; I was safe, so I should be happy... right?

But...

"Hey, wait!" Suddenly exclaiming my worries, I stepped in closer to the other two. "What about the others? Every one else? Are they safe? Do you guys know what classes they had and where they would be...!?" I wasn't going to sit tight and twiddle my thumbs, just because I was safe. Despite how much I wanted to, I couldn't stop myself from worrying.

One of them could have been injured, or worse, could have died in that explosion. I might not be able to see them again, whoever it may have been. Hanayo, Honoka, Maki...

_"Nozomi-chan! Eli-chan! Nico-chan! _A little help...!?" A familiar voice. Wiping away the constant dampness at my eyes, I glanced over in the direction of the call. It was towards the corner of the building, the side that was burning. My chest throbbed.

"Honoka...!" And before I could react, Eli had bolted over to the trio that emerged from the corner - the second years. Honoka and Kotori were walking as fast as they could, towing a slumped Umi along with them. She looked half-awake. As the two carefully slid out from under the blue-haired girl's arms and she clung onto Eli's neck instead, she let out a dry cough.

"I'll be right back! Take care of Umi-chan while I check on the first-years...!"

"Honoka-chan...!" Kotori's objection went unnoticed, as Honoka had already run off and back into the building without hesitation.

'_What an idiotic move, getting into more danger like that..'. _But, I kept my thoughts and frustration to myself as I watched the others rejoin Nozomi and I. Up close, Kotori seemed 100% okay, besides the huffing from exhaustion.

My eyes shifted onto the other pair, who had now taken to the ground. Umi was resting up against the fence of the school, taking shallow breaths, while the blonde crouched beside her. The latter girl wore an almost devastated expression as she asked quiet questions, to which the other responded with nods or shakes of the head.

"What exactly happened to you three?" Nozomi was the first to speak up to Kotori, who looked back at her with surprised eyes.

"We, well... Honoka and I were together on the bottom floor. Umi was in a different class for once, on the top. We just, we heard the explosion and got really worried so we ran up there, but it was full of smoke, and, and..."

"Hey, take it easy and slow, alright? Breathe a little bit, Kotori-chan..." I kept quiet the whole time, watching the smaller girl nod her head with teary eyes. "There you go. It's fine now, relax..."

Then, she continued. She went on to explain, in detail, how everything near the staircase and first classroom was covered in smoke. It had only been a minute or so after the explosion went off, and yet it smelt of fire. The two found Umi staggering out of the fumes however, and they brought her down here as soon as possible - so really, they were lucky, and for the most part, unharmed.

"That's a relief, I guess... as long as she didn't inhale too much smoke." I briefly said. It was only then, after those words came out, that Honoka had indeed returned. This time, she came rushing out of the front of the building as quickly as she went, the three first-years sprinting to keep up behind her.

I let out a long breath as they joined us. "Alright, is everyone okay?" Honoka immediately asked as she stopped running, before regaining her breath. Everyone sort of gave their own "okay" - which was relieving enough. It wasn't long before sirens echoed in the distance, too, meaning our help had finally arrived.

Before anyone could say much more, groups of people poured out from the fire brigade's vehicles, dressed in vibrant colours and wearing helmets. While most rushed into the building to do their main job, others stayed behind and lead Umi - along with a few other weak students - just outside the school gates. I'm assuming they were medics or something, checking up on them.

After 10 minutes or so of idle chatting, comforting and standing around, Umi was back, anyway. Meaning all nine members of Muse had assembled together now, all safe and mostly unharmed. Once I came to accept that fact, my stress had begun to wear away. I could relax - at least, for now.

I sighed, resting my arms on my neck. "Alright, so now what should we-"

_"Ooh, oh, would you look at that!? _I'm not _actually _dead yet! _You haven't killed me yet...!" _And following that sudden outburst, was the familiar sound of maniacal laughter.

My heart thudded to a halt. Had I just jinxed everything?

Everyone whipped around in the direction of the building, facing the male teacher standing in the doorway. As soon as I looked up, I felt my stomach churn and my throat grew heavy. I shuddered. This wasn't the teacher I knew at all. No...

Instead, half of his body had been burnt to a crisp. What was left behind was dry, exposed skin, oozing with crimson liquid and covering most of his body. As if that wasn't bad enough, his face was torched in black, and his clothing was torn in all places. His eyes shone through the ash like glowing lightbulbs, though shimmering in a way that made them look like they were about to fizzle out. But yet again, that was only half of the reason I was terrified.

Both of his arms were dripping with blood, making his grip weak, but his body stood upright and firm. Aimed right in our direction was the muzzle of some kind of assault rifle, covered in camo print. It looked just like something stolen from the army, with a million different buttons and switches covering it. However, with a simple click, the teacher set the rifle, ready to fire.

"Why didn't you enjoy my present? _Everyone should of had fun!" _And as he screamed and screeched at the top of his lungs, his fingers pulled down on the trigger. Snapping again and again, one after another, a series of bullets unleashed from the weapon, bringing about another wave of horror and panic.

_Thump, thump. _"No way..." The crowd in front of the school had dispersed completely, most fleeing down the street and anywhere away from the attacker. "...t-this is... _freaking insane...!" _Before I knew it, everyone had begun fleeing, also. I found myself running with them, adrenaline pumping through my veins like blood. It was because of this overwhelming feeling that I barely noticed a bullet graze past my shoulder.

It stung for a moment.

I kept on running.


	2. Chapter 2: For Now

**Chapter 2: For Now**

_Thursday September 24th 3:22pm: Nico POV_

Time had been nothing but a blur of motion around me, only coming back into focus once I was catching my breath, and my legs ached beneath me. After a chaotic 10 minute session of non-stop running, every member of Muse had found temporary shelter in Honoka's home.

With my legs spread out in front of me, I took another deep breath, head facing the ceiling. Like me, everyone had basically collapsed in the doorway, and was now spread out among the floor. None of us said a word, too busy regaining our energy. We couldn't speak, anyway. Our thoughts had been scrambled, and all logic had been up turned. There wasn't much to do but sit there and breathe.

_'Didn't Honoka have a sibling, or something? And parents? Kinda weird how they didn't hear us barge in through the door.' _Of course, my mind chose to focus on the most useless of thoughts. But it was true; no one greeted us upon stumbling in, and no one seemed to be in the house. It was almost as dull and lifeless as the empty streets we ran through on our way here.

A few more minutes passed in the thick atmosphere, before our dense silence was finally broken. It was still quiet at first, just the mere sound of shuffling footsteps and socks dragging across the ground. Then a figure emerged down the hallway to my left, small and petite, and shadowed by the darkness of the house. All my thoughts were wiped from my head - they were definitely useless, after all.

"Yukiho..." Honoka's voice was the first to greet the younger girl as she approached us.

"Onee-chan?" She blinked, seeming dull in comparison to her sister. The other had scrambled to her feet and rushed up to meet her sibling, shaking her shoulders.

"Where's Mum and Dad? Are they out? It's not best to leave the shop empty... But! Something _really _freaky's going on at our school, they need to come home and listen so we can-!"

"Oh, they're here. Calm down." Shot down by the bluntness of her reply, Honoka paused.

"Wha... okay?" She gave a hesitant smile, looking around. "Well, where are they...? We made a lot of noise coming in, but no one was here, so I thought..."

"Nah, they're probably just busy, or something."

"Eh? Well, can't they spare a moment...!? This is really important news!" Hiding her own body's trembling, she continued to shake her sister, who showed little signs of discomfort. She merely frowned, eyes drifting off to the room around her.

"I dunno, but it's still best to wait until they're ready to..."

"Yukiho, a bomb was set off at our school and one of the teacher's was... was murdering students! I don't think something like that is worth waiting about...!" As Honoka's tone grew more and more desperate, the rest of us remained silent. We waited, watched, feeling a little sorry for the misunderstanding happening between the two. It's not like it was appropriate to say anything, anyway.

"..." Yukiho looked a little taken aback, but her calmness was quick to wash over her again. She looked to the floor, shoulders dropping. "Sounds like something from a book, onee-chan."

_"It's true! _If you go back down to the school, you'll see it, it's true!" She faltered, taking a moment to recollect herself with soft breaths. She swallowed, lowering her knees so she met her sister's gaze. "...hey, you're acting a little funny, you know. You tired or something?"

The other shook her head. "No, not really... I just feel a little funny."

Honoka frowned. "A little funny? As in, sick, or...?"

"As in, I swear, it feels like... like my head's about to vomit, or something. There's something clogging it up, it hurts a little." My stomach churned at the words - though after what I'd been exposed to this past half an hour, I wasn't surprised I felt on edge as well.

"Ah, I see..." Straightening up her stance, the second-year girl let go of her sister. "You should go get some rest then, okay? Sounds like one hell of a headache." Giving the shorter other a final pat on the back, Honoka took a step away. Yukiho merely nodded, before rushing off and back into the hallway.

And now that she was out of conversation, Honoka sighed, trudging over to her seat on the floor. "What a day... I can't believe that even now, I-"

"Oh, Honoka, you're home. And you brought everyone else, too." As if on cue, Honoka's mother also emerged from the hallway, greeting us with a smile. She held her hands clasped behind her back as she approached, eyes scanning our faces.

"Oh, hey...! Sorry, I would have warned you if things weren't so sudden..." The other gave a nervous chuckle. "Ah, but I really need to tell you something...! There was an, um... an explosion at school, so we-"

"Is that so? That's odd. Hopefully everything is okay." The speed of the response unsettled Honoka, and even myself, as we stared in silence. It sounded as if she wasn't taking this seriously, and that was frustrating.

"Ma, you have to believe me! Seriously, we can check if you want to, I'm sure it'll be on the news soon or something-!"

"I believe you, it's alright. You can calm down now, just relax. I've a gift for you, won't you come here for a moment?"

"I-I... yeah, sure..." But even after giving in and rising to her feet again, Honoka didn't seem to believe the other's words. I'm sure no one did. Something about her attitude was out of place; odd, and I couldn't help but feel unsettled. I could feel my heartbeat picking up it's pace. Something still wasn't right here.

But I didn't have time to act on that, or even express my worries to someone else. I watched Honoka's mother whisper in her daughter's ear, and then I blinked. In the next moment, I saw it glimmer and shine; the edge of a knife had suddenly been thrust into Honoka's shoulder. The grip was in her mother's hand. But soon, both her hand and the blade were covered in blood.

And then, another scream, and chills down my arms to go with it.

"What the-! _Honoka!" _In an instant, Umi was on her feet, whereas my initial reaction was to cover my mouth with my hands. The blue-haired girl smacked the parent's hand away from the knife before grabbing her shoulders, thrusting her into the back wall with a thud. The other was startled, but showed no signs of energy in her eyes as she took the shock. Although the shove wasn't full of that much force, the other still sunk to the ground, lifeless. It was bizarre.

Clearly acting upon reflex, Umi turned around to face Honoka, before quickly looking left and right. "Shoot, what are we _even _supposed to do?" was what snapped from her mouth. "Guys, we need _something to stop the bleeding here!" _

I felt bad for being such a coward, really. While my body was frozen in place on the floor, Eli and Nozomi shot up to their feet. Heading for the bathroom, they immediately took to finding any kind of medical supplies. Maki was soon also standing, however rushed to Honoka and Umi's side instead. The others were dumbfounded, and hadn't moved an inch, probably to keep from swarming Honoka.

The wounded girl was quivering, grasping for the knife stuck in her shoulder, eyes watering. I couldn't bare to clearly inspect the wound, even from here. I wasn't the best with blood, nor would I ever be. I was fine from this distance, no matter how much I wanted to help.

"Tch, what's wrong with her mother's head!?" Maki was clearly frustrated, also - looking almost more so than unsettled. She glanced over at Umi, eyebrows twitching in hesitation. "You should... probably let Honoka take a seat somewhere, you know!" was what she said through clenched teeth.

Umi didn't bother responding, just nodded her head as she grasped onto her friend's arms. Making sure not to bump the weapon or injure her further, she smoothly laid her out onto the ground. Resting Honoka's back against the wall firmly, she narrowed her eyes. Her breathing was shallow.

Eli and Nozomi made a quick return, faces showing just as much worry as everyone else as they raced back up the hallway. They carried a small box in hand, presumably full of medical supplies and such. Though it was good news they found something useful, relief was far away. "Here, hurry up, before it gets too bad...!" Eli called out as she joined Umi and Maki.

"G-Gotcha... though I... still don't know what to even do..." Surely enough, the panic within Umi was dying down. Her words were slower, although now she sounded more unsure of herself than anything.

"I-It hurts... it hurts, please, just do something..." I barely heard the sound of Honoka's choked plea - though I wish I'd missed it. Stomach turning in anxiety, I stared in anticipation. Eli had just opened the box up, spilling rolls of bandages open in her haste, but overall they hadn't done anything yet.

Umi's mind went blank. What _was _there to do, anyway? How did you treat a wound, again...?

"For crying out loud...! S-Someone take the knife out, first of all... then we can reduce the bleeding by pressing against it with a handkerchief, and seal it with a bandage for now. We need to take her blazer off before wrapping it up, _okay?" _Even though her voice was hesitant and dry, Maki was the first and only girl to step up. For a moment, everyone was silent. But after that moment of recollection, no one argued, merely beginning to follow her words in their internal stress.

Sucking in a deep breath and holding it in tightly, Umi squeezed her eyes tight. Grasping onto the grip of the knife, she whispered a faint, "Honoka, I apologise if this hurts...!" Pulling back, the blade slid out with a little more resistance than anticipated. Her body jerked back with the motion, and crimson liquid dripped onto the floor. She didn't notice, too busy tossing the weapon aside in disgust.

Her insides squeezed in discomfort, though Umi turned back to face Honoka. Already being close, she unbuttoned her blue blazer, one by one. Soon enough, it opened up and she slid the fabric off the other's arms. She took extra care in avoiding the injured shoulder, bringing the jacket down to her waist before stepping away - and finally taking air.

The wound began brimming with a new layer of blood upon the removal of the blade. Honoka jolted at the surge of pain, biting her lip to keep herself from wincing. Wasting no time, the first-year girl crouched by her friend's side with a white handkerchief. It wasn't white for long, absorbing up the blood from her shoulder nicely. She pressed against it with a fair amount of force, trying to keep the amount of blood lost to a minimal.

Though she was merely acting out of habit, Maki was under pressure. She felt everyone's stares on her back, listened to Honoka's muffled groans in fear. There was much room for error, having never faced a situation like this before. But this was no time to be second-guessing and faltering.

Tossing aside the cloth, the girl turned to the third-years with an open palm. "Bandages. Also, c-could one of you hold her arm out straight for me, please..." The other two obeyed.

While the blonde offered out the roll of bandages, Nozomi did the favour of keeping Honoka's arm straight. Through this, she could feel the other's pulse steadily increasing. She could only guess how painful this sudden event was for her, in more ways than one.

Pulling up Honoka's sleeve properly, Maki faced the wound up close. She swallowed. It was a mess of blood and skin, though this was no time to be staring. The girl shook, feeling weightless as she unrolled the bandages. Then, with unsteady fingers, she focused as much as she could. She wrapped up the wound tight, while still giving it room for manoeuvring, before rolling the sleeve back down.

Maki put the rest of the bandages in her pocket out of habit, and Nozomi let go. "That, um... should about do it." she said with a faltering smile, as she gazed down at Honoka. "Hopefully... it didn't hurt that much. I-It'll um, get better." As she continued, she ended up staring down at the floor instead.

The other was still heaving for breath with her eyes closed, but she looked notably calmer. "...it's fine. T-Thank you, Umi-chan, Maki-chan... Eli-chan, Nozomi-chan." That was the reply that came through a forced laugh from the injured girl, as she flexed her fingers open and closed.

Maki gave a small nod, before looking down the hallway. "...e-excuse me. I need to wash my hands..." With those words, she was off to the bathroom, and everyone else was left quiet.

Umi, having regained herself, crouched by her childhood friend's side. She smiled. "Are you... okay...?"

Honoka nodded. Her smile wasn't 100%, but it was still present, nonetheless. "Yeah. I should be, anyway..." Relying on her free arm, the girl shuffled in her position. She twisted towards the wall, bending her knees below her as she slowly prepared to stand.

"Here..." Umi wasn't about to stand by, either. Gripping her friend's free arm, she helped pull her to her feet. The other stood fine until she let go, stumbling a little from being unprepared. But after that, she seemed fine.

Deeming the intense situation to have passed, I let out a sigh. Only then did I stand up, rubbing the back of my head of out stress. "Well, isn't this one hell of a bright day?" I spoke, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Indeed..." The shy reply came from Maki, just as she returned from the hallway again - the only one with the ability to meet my sarcasm, really. I placed my hands on my hips. The room was silent once again.

I didn't keep track of how long we all remained like that; with solemn looks on our faces, worry lingering behind and silence trapping us in our thoughts, but it seemed like way too long. I wasn't going to break the quiet again. That's why I was glad when someone else finally did.

"Honoka... why did your mother do that...?" It was Kotori; barely audible as she whispered in the corner of the room. Her eyes were tame but dull, focused on one spot on the ground. The other girl was taken aback by the suddenness of it. Umi got a chance to respond before she did, however.

"Kotori, you know it wasn't the best to-"

"I don't know." Honoka was aware and interrupted though, trying to return to reality again. She wiped her eyes and cheeks. "...I just... don't know..." And as she continued, her eyes fell onto the resting figure of her mother. So peaceful, and yet still had a strange aura to her. The pain in her expression was almost contagious.

"...something strange is going on here, no doubt." Eli spoke up, with disappointment in her tone. "The teacher, and now your mother... it's not a coincidence, right...?" We all lowered our heads in thoughts. As much as we wanted to believe it was, there was no denying...

"Yeah... this is just... too convenient to have been a coincidence." I backed up her words. "Who knows what it is, though... sensei was fine yesterday, was your mother, as well?"

Honoka gave a brief nod, before responding. "Yeah... yeah, I'm sure. It was just... a normal day. Nothing strange. She had nothing to do with that teacher, and yet...!" Her tone steadily rose, until Umi placed a hand on her unwounded shoulder. Her gentle eyes sent the message of 'give it up', and that alone was enough to stop her.

Rin pouted, humming in disappointment. Her face bore a sad expression, unfit for her usual attitude. "...what do we do, then? How do we know what's happening...?" None of us had time to reply. Instead what came was the sound of a groan, and then shuffling clothing. My mind flew into shock.

"O-Oi, she's waking up..." I pointed my finger in the direction of the collapsed parent, everyone's eyes following my direction. I swallowed, as panic fell back into the atmosphere. Great.

"We should get going...! Who knows what'll happen when she actually wakes up again..." Everyone heard Eli's warning, and yet, we all stood in place, not knowing what to do. Out of instinct, I clenched my fists by my sides.

"We can't say for sure we'll be safe. The best bet is to split up for now, head home. Honoka, I'm sorry, but you'll have to stay at Kotori's house until further notice. Understood?" Nozomi ordered, using a firm tone. She had everyone's attention, and everyone was nodding. After giving our own "okay's", we bolted right back out of the house, and off in our own directions.

Off to safety. At least, for the moment.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, maybe I will bump this up to M. owo"**

**Anyway, just quickly wanted to give my thanks for the reviews this has gotten already! I appreciate feedback, especially early on in the story. I'd love to know what you think. :)**

**Catch you in the next one~**


	3. Chapter 3: A Safe Place to Fall

**Chapter 3: A Safe Place to Fall**

_Thursday October 1st 11:33am: Nico_

And so, while harbouring feelings of fear, frustration and confusion, the nine of us all let a week pass by.

Otonokizaka High School had been shut down temporarily due to the incident. Day in and day out, police cars had parked outside the school grounds, with all kinds of investigators and forensics roaming around. However to me, it seemed like a bit much. There were quite a lot of people gathered, working on one case, but eh. Who was I to make the judgements? I wasn't the professional.

On another note, the psycho teacher and Honoka's mother were the only odd people of the week. I deemed it to have been a normal week. My family and friends were completely fine, so I had no reason to worry - maybe things _would _be normal from here on out.

Having just gotten up that morning, I stretched at the seat at my desk. Breakfast was still sitting in my stomach, but I felt so drowsy. That's probably what I got for sleeping in - lingering fatigue.

_Buzzt!_

I groaned. My phone was vibrating and flashing at me. _Buzzt, buzzt! _So full of energy as if it was mocking me. _Buzzt, buzzt! _I finally picked up the incoming call. It was a group call, apparently.

"Yeah, hello...?" Giving a lazy greeting, I rubbed at my eyes with my sleeve.

"Ah, Nico-cchi picked up! That means everyone's here now." Nozomi was the first to respond.

"Yeah... you can cut to the chase of what you wanted to discuss now, Kotori." And Maki was just as quick to speed up conversation.

I'm pretty sure I heard Kotori's exhausted sigh, before she continued. "Oh, yes, right..." She took a pause. "Um. I just wanted to ask, on behalf of Honoka-chan as well, how everybody is doing... at home, and stuff."

"Oh, that's fair enough... um... everything's okay on my end, what about everybody else?" Umi sounded a little worried, too. Oh well.

"No problems here." And though no one could see it, I waved my hand in dismissal. Everyone sort of chimed in afterwards, saying the same thing in different words. Everyone seemed fine, clearly.

"...are you sure? Not even the single, smallest sign, or something?" Kotori continued, voice wavering.

"Not anything worth noticing, at least." Eli said. "And none of us know anything about what's going on, I'm assuming?"

"No, one of us here knows everything, and are keeping everything from you because they feel like it! It just so happens to be that one of us is the mastermind behind all of this." My sarcasm: 10/10.

"Nico, please. Seriously. You could have just said 'no.'" I should have expected the red-head first-year to scold me. But I didn't. I rolled my eyes.

"So everyone really is confused about all this...?" Hanayo slowly pushed the conversation on.

"Seems like it." The blonde responded.

"Then it's best we not ponder on it, right? We'll have to wait until we do know more, and then we can do something about it." Leave it to Nozomi to be all wise and mature. Everyone gave a small "okay", or something equal to it. "Good. Kotori, how have things been with Honoka, anyway...?"

The other girl took a moment to reply. "...fine." she began. "We're, um... obviously, she's still quite shaken, but she's fine. She wants to go back home and check on everyone, though... they're not picking up her calls." The sadness in her tone was clear, and brought about another long silence between the eight of us.

"...I understand why she feels that way, but something tells me it's still unsafe. She should hold on a little longer, just in case. Tell her that, okay...?" The third-year from before answered.

"Mm. Okay."

"Well, in that case," she continued, "I'd say it's safe to hang up for now?" Everyone gave a few words to agree. "If anything happens, just contact someone, okay? That goes for everyone." Another round of "okay's". "Alright. Now, I hear the school might be open next Monday, so... I guess I'll see you all then. Bye." And after saying our farewells, we all hung up.

My head fell onto the desk as I frowned. No one had mentioned those weird people on the street, so I must have been overthinking it. But even so, I couldn't just write off everything I saw. Something was happening.

But exactly _what _was it?

I guess I'd have to wait until Monday to find out.

. . .

_Monday October 5th 8:23am: Nico_

And wait was what I did. The day came, and I'd arrived just before the bell rang to a crowded school of students. The crime scene/classroom was roped of with yellow tape, just like in a murder mystery movie. It felt a little eerie. But besides that, everything seemed completely normal. It was as if everyone had forgotten the whole ordeal and moved on.

Huh. Weird.

. . .

_Monday October 5th 3:05pm: Nico_

The day begun and ended normally, much to everybody's surprise - but then again, that's what made it strange as a whole. There was no way everyone could just act all happy and optimistic after going through some kind of bombing, right? I still wasn't sitting tight about it, but there was nothing I could do.

Heading out the front gates, I sighed. The sky looked unbelievably dark for the late afternoon, but in noticing this, I bumped shoulders with a few people. I muttered a few apologies and kept walking. No sweat.

"Really, Nico-cchi? You could have at least looked sincere."

"W-Woah! Where did you come from?" And as I turned around to see Nozomi suddenly standing behind me, I jumped, almost running into another person. So much for the 'no sweat' attitude. She smiled back at me, all innocent like.

"Just how spaced out _are _you today?"

"Whaddya mean, 'spaced out'? _You're _the one who just happens to have a weak presence. Unlike me." I puffed out my cheeks and crossed my arms.

"Oh? Okay, you have a strong presence, do you? So that's why you kept running into people?"

"J-Just how many people did you see me run into...?"

She glanced down at her fingers, counting slowly to rub it in. "Let's see! One, two, three... about four?"

_"Four?_ I didn't even run into four people, Nozomi...!" But despite my efforts, she just giggled at me.

"You need to pay a little more attention, you know?" We neared the edge of the gate, where we split ways. "The longer you worry about it, the longer it'll bug you. Everyone's keeping up their daily routine, why can't you?" After giving those mysterious words, she waved, and turned away.

"...right..."

Though maybe she did have a point. Maybe I should stop thinking about it so much. None of the events really concerned me, anyway. Yeah. It was a waste of time. Things would get better from here.

Putting on a smile, I walked home.

. . .

_Monday October 5th 3:37pm: __**Rin**_

_Buzzt! _

"Ah...!" Jolting in my seat, I flipped out of my chair with lightning speed and crashed onto the floor with a thud. "Oww..." As I winced from the harsh, harsh pain, I frowned. When had I fallen asleep at my desk? I can't remember. I was trying to study - my textbook was still open, now with a damp corner from my drool - but clearly something went wrong.

_'In other news, I should probably check that message.'_

Gathering a hold of myself, I stood up, switching on my phone. Upon seeing the message from Hanayo, I brightened, just like my screen did. Tapping away at the device, I opened it up. As my eyes scanned the words, my excited smile gradually dulled.

_'Hey Rin, I hope I'm not interrupting anything! I'm just a little worried about Maki. Has she said anything to you? She's acting a little scary.'_

"Eh? Maki-chan...?" Phone in hand, I flopped backwards onto my bed. My mind was a little too clouded to think about enjoying the bouncing of the mattress below me. Within seconds, I was typing a reply back, staring up at the screen.

_'No, I haven't at all. What do you mean by scary? o3o' _And of course an emote, for good measure. The reply came quicker than I expected.

_'Oh, okay. Like... I don't know! She's being awfully, um, blunt. And anti-social.'_

_'Kayo-chin, have you _met _Maki-chan? That stuff's normal!'_

_'O-Oh, I'm sorry...! ^'_

_'Did the thing at Honoka-chan's place scare ya? w Really, it should be fine.'_

_'No, of course not! ...okay, maybe just a little. But okay, if you say so.'_

_'There you go, nya~ Nothing to worry about.' _For a few minutes after sending that message, I got nothing from the other girl. Ten minutes passed.

_'...are you sure you don't wanna drop into her house and check?'_

I sighed. _'Kayo-chin, stop freaking out, it's fine. And even if not, Maki-chan's brave, she'll be okay! (=w=)b'_

_'A-Are you sure?'_

_'Man, you really _are _worried. How did you notice this anyway, have you been calling her?'_

_'Not exactly... she refuses to answer my calls, but we've been messaging each other for a while now.'_

_'Hm. Okay. Did you ask her why she's not answering?'_

_'...she said she doesn't "want to make too much noise."_

_'Eh? But she has a piano and a big house, how is talking making too much noise? qAq'_

_'I don't know, that's why I'm worried...! What if, what if something's happening?'_

_'Like what?'_

_'...um, something? Big? Ooh, I don't know...! I'm realy sorry for pestering you so much, aah...'_

_'Nah, that's alright, that's alright! How about this? Since you're not gonna stop worrying until we check it out, we'll go visit her, and then you'll feel all better, okay? ^w^'_

_'A-Are you sure about this?'_

_'You're the one who suggested it, you know.'_

_'Oh...! Yeah, okay... yeah, that's fine.'_

_'Good! I'll go leave now, then. See you, nya! :3'_

_'Okay, see you soon!'_

I locked my phone, letting it drop and smack me in the face. Dragging myself off my comfortable position on my bed, I took in a deeeeep breath. Making sure to grab my phone before heading out, I ran out of my room and threw on my sneakers.

Off to visit Maki-chan!

. . .

_Monday October 5th 3:57pm: Rin_

It was nearly 4 o' clock by the time the both of us met up again, a few blocks down from Maki's house. I wasn't surprised that I came a little later than the other, having ran most of the way by memory. I mean, I only got lost for about 5 minutes - that wasn't bad, right?

Right. Anyway, with my hands behind my head, we walked by each other until we reached our friend's front door. "You look really pale, you know." I pointed out, in a cheery tone. Brightening up like a switch, Hanayo jumped with pink cheeks, looking to the floor.

"A-Ah, can you really blame me...?" she whimpered.

"Mm. Maybe."

"M-Maybe?"

"Yup." And that's where our absolutely deep, purposeful conversation ended!

Reaching the doorstep, Hanayo reached out and pressed the doorbell. Instead of being greeted in person, a voice from the speaker below resounded.

"Hello, Nishikino residence, who is it that is visiting?" It was a woman's voice, but it sounded like a pre-recorded message. Or maybe not. I couldn't tell, really.

"Ah! It's Hanayo and Rin-chan, sorry for the intrusion. We came to-"

"We're here to visit Maki-chan!" I wore a bright smile and glanced over at the other girl. Her gaze alone said, _"how dare you be so rude!", _but she still looked kinda playful. Which meant she looked adorable!

"Oh, you two! It's alright, feel free to come in. She should be in her room upstairs."

"Thank you very much!" I responded, over the top of Hanayo. With a smirk, I grabbed her wrist and skipped up to the doorway. Ignoring her protests, I reached for the knob - it was already unlocked. With one final, reassuring glance, I twisted the knob and let the two of us in.

No matter how many times I visited this place, I would never cease to be amazed.

The whole place screamed "I have a good job and good income" in a way that most celebrities' places did; but this was just Maki, not a celebrity. That's what made it special! Everything shined as if it was brand new, and the amount of space compared to my house was incredible. The floors, the stairs, everything looked well polished and wiped down, as if they had paid for their own maids to do it for them. Seriously.

Slipping off my shoes, I waited for Hanayo to do the same before we forwarded up the smooth staircase. My socks slid on the clean surface freely. I could slide down this thing if I wanted to. That would be cool. Dangerous, but cool, and all the more fun.

As we walked down the hallways, we both kept mainly to ourselves, looking around. It felt great, being able to step into a place like this frequently. It was quiet and formal, and although I'm not very fond of either of those things, somehow it was still comfortable and warm. Taking quiet steps in sync, we reached the door to Maki's room soon enough.

"See, what did I tell you?" I gave Hanayo a friendly smack on the arm. She winced. Hopefully it didn't actually hurt.

"Ow... okay, okay!" she whispered, as if yelling at me.

"Everything's perfectly fi... ne..." As we reached the door, I stopped.

"...Rin-chan? What's going on, why did-"

_"Shh._ Wait a second..." Voice reducing to a whisper, I shuffled closer to the door. What I thought was just my imagination before was now playing into my ears, loud and clear; somebody inside the room was yelling. And obviously, due to it's lower tone, it wasn't Maki. I glanced over my shoulder. "Someone's in there...!"

And Hanayo looked like she was about to freak out. Eyes wide, she crouched up near the door as well. "What? _What do you mean, 'someone'?" _She matched my volume.

Waiting a moment, I pressed my ear up against the wood of the door, trying to make out what was being said. This was an awfully sound-proofed room for a regular bedroom. "Shh...!"

"...I didn't want it to come down to this, you know..." It sounded like her father. "...s changing... we can't do anything...! ...I'm helping you out, by doing th...! It's... I've got ..., so...!" I heard Maki's protests too, in between her father's words, but I couldn't make out much more than that. Nothing joined up, and I didn't have any context to make sense of anything.

I looked over to Hanayo. "...did you hear that? Any of that?" She shook her head. She looked like she was about to cry, shaking and sweating. "That... doesn't sound good..."

"...what do we do?"

I frowned. The noise inside the room continued, aching in my chest as I stood by. We couldn't do _nothing. _I wouldn't allow that. And as horrible as I felt for intruding on some kind of personal matter, something had to be done.

Stepping back from the door, I glanced down at the knob. It seemed unlocked. Taking one last breath of preparation, I met the other's gaze. "...we're going inside."

"..._what? _Are you insane...? This is family issue, Rin-chan, we can't just-"

"And we can't do nothing either...!" Our whispers had gotten more and more strained by the word. Frowning, I glanced back at the door. "...just, follow me, okay? Stand right behind me... please." But, I didn't want to keep that fierce attitude on. Letting go of a little steam, I softened, giving a more pleading look to the other girl.

After a pause, she deflated, slowly nodding her head. "...okay."

I sighed. "Alright. We can do this." And to give myself a little more confidence, I put on a smile and turned towards the door. I reached out for the knob, not sure what to do at first. Then, right before my fingers brushed it's surface, I turned my hand into a fist and knocked on the door. Just twice, firm both times. My heart seemed to pound twice as hard in my chest as I waited, waited for anything.

...the yelling in the room continued. Nothing stopped. And no one came to answer the door.

I grew tired of waiting quickly. I could hear Maki's protests now, somehow even louder than before, and decided on the only course of action.

I glanced back at Hanayo for a moment. Then, back at the door. My hand immediately grasped around the knob, and I swung the door open with as much force as I could. "...Maki-chan!"

The scene I was met with froze my heart.

Maki was standing in the corner of her room, hands grasping and tangled through her hair. And there was her father, towering over her, backing her into that wall holding up a pair of scissors in his hand. His eyes were fixed on his daughter with some mad glow to it, before that disappeared, and he glanced over at the open door. Over at us.

"R-Rin... Hanayo...?" Maki's wavering voice tore at my strength.

But, the anger that came upon hearing her father's voice was somehow enough to replenish it. "...what are you even doing here?" he snapped, let-over frustration directed at us. "You're not supposed to be here. _Get out! Move along!" _Although somehow, I had to admit - that roaring voice also scared me.

My emotions were heightened, and all over the place - it was difficult to even think, which meant there was only one thing to do. To not think at all, and to act purely on what I could feel.

_"Go on, get out!" _Her father waved the scissors in our direction, bearing all of his teeth at us like a wild dog.

"Maki-chan, _come on!" _Fear, anger, and worry - all of that mixed in to create an overpowering emotion inside me, fuelling me with a boundless amount of energy. I bolted straight for the other girl, past her father, before grabbing her wrist. Then, following along the walls of the room, I ran back around to the front door - not before getting a pair of scissors thrown at me, however.

The throw wasn't straight on, so the blades just clipped my knee. I barely registered it. I kept running, heavily breathing as I rushed out the door. "Kayo-chin, keep up, we're getting out of here...!" I should have warned her a bit sooner. She stumbled out of the doorway, following right behind us at a fair pace.

I took one last glance at the raging man and the veins popping out of his neck before I turned back around, using everything I had to take Maki outside as quick as possible.

Soon enough, after nearly tripping on the way down the staircase and getting several new creases in my sneakers, we were outside. Away from the madness of whatever just happened.

All of us took a moment to regain our breath. We couldn't hear anything between us except for those heaving breaths for what felt like an entire year. In, out, in, out. Slowly, that rush of energy left my body entirely, leaving behind my racing heartbeat and a loss of air. In, out, in out. Sitting on the gutter of the road, we waited.

And once I collected myself, I broke the silence. "...I have no idea what that was, but I'm glad we got out of it..." I spoke to no one in particular, eyes staring up at the sky. The sun's rays had dulled. I waited, but neither of the two gave a response. I frowned. Fair enough.

After a few more minutes in silence, I decided to try once more. I glanced over at Maki - she wasn't even facing us, head buried in her knees as she took unsteady breaths. And Hanayo was, well... looking around in every direction, with the same, worried expression. I felt bad for speaking up, I really did. But my curiosity couldn't hold up for very long.

"...Hey, Maki-chan?" I decided against saying 'are you okay', since that wouldn't get us anywhere. "How, um... how are you feeling...?"

At first, the girl did nothing. She just sat there, quietly. Then, she slowly shook her head left and right. My shoulders dropped in disappointment. I wasn't expecting her to speak up, but surely, she cleared her throat and begun to slowly talk. "I, um... I really wish you didn't have to see that..." Her voice was raspy and broken. She hid her face, but it was clear she'd been crying.

I shook my head, although she didn't see. "At least you're... safe now, yeah? At least try to be a little glad that we decided to check on you." I tried to keep my voice as light-hearted as possible, though with such a thick atmosphere, it was a little hard.

"...guess so..." And with those words, the conversation died down again.

I didn't bother reviving it this time. Instead, I waited it out properly. Staring up at the sky, taking in the calm wind, I did whatever I could to keep myself occupied.

"Um, ah... Maki-chan...?" Hanayo suddenly spoke up, out of seemingly nowhere. I turned to glance over at her. Maki just hummed, showing she was paying attention. Looking to the ground and twitching her fingers, Hanayo continued. "...I'm really sorry this happened to you."

She shook her head. "...it's fine."

"I hope things get better."

"...it's fine."

Hanayo paused, still wearing a troubled look. "...what was your father doing, anyway...?" And then, she spoke those words so hesitantly, as if the words themselves were treading on thin ice.

The girl didn't reply for a while. We let her think in silence, watching on with caring looks.

"He was, um..." Then, she begun. Gradually, she lifted her head from her knees, looking out at the road before her. She didn't even glance at us. "...just, telling me some things, and... um..."

"He said he was helping you by doing something..." I said, blinking. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I heard a little. A little of what he said, so even I'm a little worried, Maki-chan..." It wasn't like I meant to make the other feel guilty or like a burden. I was merely conveying the information I'd gathered, shining more light onto the situation and easing Maki.

Another moment of silence. After that, Maki seemed to open up that little bit more.

She sighed first, before shaking her head again, eyes staring in the same spot. Running a hand through her hair, she spoke.

"...I guess I could say that I understand a little about everything that's been happening... now..." She paused. "He knew part of it, so he told me, and then, um..." And then, she shrugged. "...he said he was going to murder me."

Those words hung in the atmosphere like a dull light, illuminating everything around us with an eerie, lingering presence.

"..._what?" _I turned to face the girl completely, eyebrows creasing. "He seriously said that? He said he was going to... his own daughter..."

The girl still didn't look up, or flinch. "He's, um... going to come back, you know. Mum can only hold him up for so long, he's going to come looking for me..."

"Then we need to go somewhere safe. Somewhere he can't get to you." The idea came to me pretty quickly, projecting my voice with a little more confidence. By now, I was almost determined to keep my friend safe and sound. Not only was the thought of losing her ridiculous, but I knew it would be impossible to bare, if it ever became reality. "Is there anywhere you can think of...? I'd offer my place or Kayo-chin's, but that would be too obvious and too close..."

We thought for a moment.

"...there is, um... one place I can think of..." But when Maki spoke up, my hopes had been renewed.

"Really?" My face brightened. She nodded her head.

"Y-Yeah, um... just... a small house my Mum bought out... Dad doesn't know about it, but it's an hour from here by train... and then probably another 20 minute walk... so-"

"No buts or excuses, okay?" I intervened with a gentle smile. "...it's one of your houses, right? So you don't need to pack any stuff...?" She shook her head, and my expression eased considerably. "Then we're going. We'll all go, alright? Kayo-chin and I will sleep the night with you there, to make sure you're not on your own. I'm sure our parents won't mind. Then tomorrow, we can check up on things and everybody else. Sound good Kayo-chin, Maki-chan?"

There was a pause of hesitation, but Hanayo still nodded. "Yeah. Y-Yeah, okay."

And after hearing the confirmation, Maki slowly came to turn her head towards us. Her face was fairly red but her eyes had been wiped dry, now wearing a surprised expression. But, in a moment, that expression dropped completely. Instead, she looked straight at us, and smiled.

"...okay. Sounds good..." she muttered.

Pride suddenly rushed through me at that response. I'd done something helpful. _We _did something helpful. Shooting up from my position on the gutter, I jumped into the air, pumping more energy into the other two. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's head on out, yeah?" They nodded along, standing with me. Just before I turned to head down and out of the street, I felt a tug on my sleeve. "Hm?"

"U-Um, Rin, Hanayo..." Maki had grabbed the corner of both our sleeves. Her eyes were averted, but between two blinks, she glanced up at us. "...thank... you."

I smiled.

"No problem, Maki-chan."

* * *

**A/N: ****I've been thinking about putting in some minor one-sided RinMaki, but that'll be up for debate. .3. It's a maybe at the moment, who knows.**

**Anyway, please don't hesitate to leave a review - and once again, thank you for reading this chapter!**

**I'll catch you in the next one.**


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